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Bits and bobs; this and that.

Hello Dear Peeps. This is a rather bitty bobby post as I've not planned my menus for next week yet, but wanted to pop in while I have some time!

I hope you are all well and happy. I'm doing okay, but a bit held back by a bad attack of Dyshidrotic eczema on my feet at the moment. This is a horrid type of eczema consisting of blisters that are filled with a watery liquid. They either burst when they're quite small or get bigger and then burst, leaving one's feet in a painful, red, tender mess, which means wearing shoes is very uncomfortable. I am treating them with a hydrating cream which is helping a little, but it means that walking any real distance is generally out of the question. I don't know what sets this off - possibly when my feet get overheated, although that's not happened much recently. It's a possibility that my lovely new fur-lined ankle boots might be the culprit this time, but as they're new it doesn't explain past outbreaks. The dermatologist was spectacularly unhelpful, and t'internet seems to suggest that no-one really knows what causes this. Hey-ho. They've been really bad since Friday, so I'm hoping that in another couple of days they'll start scabbing over. ANYWAY that's probably too much medical information at the moment!!!!

And they're a lot prettier than mine!

Otherwise things are fine.

Mr FD has found out that he has been successful in his bid to take part in Ride London this year. He did it in 2015 with a friend from the Cyclos here in the village; this time he'll be doing it with his brother - 100 mile cycle ride from the Olympic Park, around London & Surrey, then finishing outside Buckingham Palace. So he's out starting his training today!

2015 : Mr FD checking his medal is genuine!

Louis and Mr FD after they finished.

You may well remember that last year I took part in 40 Acts during Lent, and I plan to do the same this year. I'm also doing something else too, so head on over to The Teapot, if you'd like to receive a rather lovely postcard from me

Or, if like Jan, you can't find how to comment at The Teapot, then you can leave a comment here. I'm not sure if it's a problem with the Wordpress site, but I think that at the bottom of the post it says either "Leave a comment" or, if someone has already commented, it says "1 comment" - if you click on that you should be able to comment. But maybe it's different for you, Jan. It is in quite small writing, amidst the tags and labels, right at the end of the post.

So, I hope to pop in tomorrow (very briefly) with menus, but it might be Tuesday. Tomorrow is a bit rushed as I'm leaving home early to get to Montbrison for my lesson, as I'm going to get my hair cut - I'm trying out a new salon, so who knows what it'll look like! I'm also back later, as I'm stating a new contract of 20 hours, which finishes later.

As always,n thank you for your lovely comments:

CONFUZZLED - Courgettes are definitely more expensive than usual, but I assume they will come down in price as summer approaches and the weather improves. For now, we'lol have to use other things. Mr FD was rather discombobulated at having to make a pasta sauce without courgette. He used carrot, but I'm not convinced it was a good idea!

JAN - hopefully the note above will help you comment on The Teapot. If not, I'm happy to receive your comments here instead!

SANDRA - I'm not sure if you were joking asking what a phone lesson is (though I still need the occasional lesson from Mr FD how to use his old smartphone that he gave me!). In case you weren't joking, basically I have a student who wants to improve their fluency in English, so they phone me (or I phone them) and we chat for 30 or 45 minutes. I make notes of theitr mistakes, and in the last 10 minutes of the lesson I go through their errors. Then, when we've finished, I send them an email with notes about vocabulary and grammar, plus something to read for the next lesson. And that's a phone lesson. I have taught students with a very low level of English over the phone, but that's not successful. I think the student needs to be at least pre-intermediate level, for it to be of any use.

JOYCE - thank you for the hint about plum sauce. There's not that many Asian stores (that I know about) around where I do my shopping, so I'm rather reliant on the supermarkets for supplies. In the end I adapted the recipe, using a plum-and-apple chutney, some chilli jam, and some fruit juice to make the glaze for the sausages. It worked well, and I really enjoyed them!

Comments

That cat is hilarious!!!! That's a very Garfield picture, particularly since that is a rotund ginger!Hurrah for Mr FD getting into Ride London- that's great. Will you be coming over too? Hope that the Eczema gets better, it sounds awful! I have had some itchy, sore lumps on my toes recently which I think might be chilblains as someone was talking about them today and I suddenly went, "But that's what I've got!!!!" so I sympathise, but not as bad as what you have!!x

Ouch, your poor feet! That doesn't sound pleasant at all. I hope it goes away soon.I get eczema when I'm stressed, but luckily mostly on my hands. I can't imagine having to put shoes on over itchy eczema (and mine is just the normal kind without any blisters).

I have two blogs...this one, generally about food, and my other "View From The Teapot", at dormouse.wibsite.com which is more about our life in France. I'd love to see you at one or the other - or even both!